On Tuesday, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed that the central government has officially granted a license to Starlink, the satellite internet venture founded by Elon Musk, to operate within India.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Scindia shared details of a meeting with Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, where they explored potential collaborations in satellite communications. “We discussed ways to leverage satellite technology in advancing Digital India’s goals and expanding connectivity across the country. Ms. Shotwell welcomed the licensing approval, calling it a promising beginning,” he noted.
Starlink delivers high-speed internet to underserved and remote regions through a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Its entry into the Indian market has triggered intense discussions around issues such as spectrum policy and competitive pricing.
Earlier in March, telecom giants Jio and Airtel—who collectively command over 70% of the Indian telecom market—announced strategic partnerships with SpaceX to facilitate Starlink-based services in the country.
Starlink is now the third company to secure a license from the Department of Telecommunications for satellite broadband services, following Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. Amazon’s Project Kuiper remains under review.
Developed by SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk in 2002, Starlink uses thousands of LEO satellites positioned about 550 km above Earth. This low-latency network enables broadband connectivity suitable
